MOP6/COP11 - Biodiversity: Giving a shining example a few days ahead of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity scheduled to begin on October 8, the Union Cabinet on Thursday ratified the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Oct 4: Giving a shining example a few days ahead of the
11th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity scheduled to begin on October 8, the Union
Cabinet on Thursday ratified the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit
Sharing.

India is the sixth country to ratify the Nagoya Protocol signed by 92
countries. The protocol was adopted during the COP-10 held in Japan
two years ago. India is also ready to sign the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety. Though 51 countries had signed the Cartagena Protocol of
Biosafety, only three countries have ratified it.

The ratification of the Nagoya Protocol and the promise to ratify the
Cartagena Protocol by India has given a boost to developing countries,
which look towards India as a key player in technology on risk
assessment and biosafety of genetically engineered crops or living
modified organisms.

India signed the Nagoya Protocol on May 11, 2011. India will host the
COP-11 from October 8. The 6th meeting of parties (MOP) to the COP on
Cartagena Protocol is currently underway in Hyderabad. It will
conclude on Friday.

“The ratification gives us an opportunity to consolidate, scale up and
showcase our strengths and initiatives on biodiversity before the
world,” an official statement said.

The genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge can be used
to develop a wide range of products and services for human benefit,
such as medicines, agricultural practices, cosmetics etc. Much of the
world's biodiversity is found in developing countries, and can thus
contribute to their economic and social development, and creates
incentives for their conservation and sustainable use, thereby
contributing to the creation of a fairer and more equitable economy to
support sustainable development.

The Nagoya Protocol would also contribute to the other two objectives
of the CBD relating to conservation and sustainable use, since
benefits accruing from utilization of genetic resources would act as
incentive to biodiversity-rich countries and their local communities
to conserve and sustainably use their biodiversity, the statement
said.